Horseshoe.



MATTHEW T. KEENAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

' HORSESHOE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 2, 1908.

Patented June 8, 1909.

Serial No. 455,866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MATTHEW T. KEENAN,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident.

of the city of New York, (borough of Brooklyn,) in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Horseshoe, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to horseshoes, and the object of the invention is to produce a shoe which is provided with a cushion or re silient tread which normally projects below the lower edge of the body of the shoe so as to cushion the impact of the foot upon the ground, and further, to provide a construction which will enable the cushion to be readily removed and replaced when worn.

In the preferred form of the invention the cushion forms a bridge at the heel of the shoe, which supports the frog of the horses hoof, when desired.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures. 1

Figure 1 is a bottom plan of a shoe constructed according to my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the shoe taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan of a shoe showing the manner in which this shoe can be used with a common form of rubber pad; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary View showing in bottom plan, a portion of the heel of a shoe having the cushion referred to, but in which the bridge of the cushion across the heel, is omitted; and Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to the parts, and especially to Figs. 1 and 2, the body 1 of the shoe is formed of metal in two parts, an angle piece or seat 2, which presents a hori zontal web 3 and is adapted to be attached to the horses hoof by nails driven through the under side thereof in the usual manner. Integral with this web 3, a flange 4 is formed, which projects downwardly at the inner edge of the angle piece. This angle piece is bent so as to conform in the usual manner to the outline of the hoof. Under the outer edge of the web 3 there is provided a keeper 5 Which is in the form of a strap or band of .the heel of the shoe pass.

metal bent to horseshoe form, as indicated. The upper edge of this keeper comes against the under side of the web 3. In this way, between the keeper 5 and the flange 4, a

channel or groove 6 is formed, and in this channel there is attached a cushion or pad 7. This cushion is preferably formed of cloth or similar material, arranged vertically in layers, as shown. The keeper is attached to the flange 4 by through bolts 8, the outer ends of which are provided with countersunk heads. The inner ends of the bolts project through the flange 4, and are provided with nuts 9 which secure them in position, as will be readily understood.

The pad or cushion 7 extends continuously around the entire shoe, and extends across between the heels 10 of the shoe, as indicated in Fig. 1. In the forward side of the cross bar at this point, a block 11 of the same material as the cushion is attached. In order to secure this block in place, and also to reinforce the bridge 12 which is formed at this point, I provide a small metal strap 13 which extends longitudinally of the bridge and through which through bolts 14 pass, which connect the block to the body of the bridge. The ends of the strap 13 are formed into inclined clips 15 which are adapted to lie against the inner sides of the flange at the heels. These clips are provided with longitudinal slots 16 through which the bolts 8 at At this point the nuts 9 seat against the clips so that they not only hold the pad under the channel, but 0 they also support and reinforce the bridge, and especially the block 11 of the bridge.

A bridge such as the bridge 12 is desirable occasionally so as to form a support for the frog of the foot. Where it is desired to omit the bridge, this may be done by simply terminating the pad at the heels 17 as indicated in Fig. 4. Where it is desired to employ the pad or cushion 7 in connection with a cushion shoe such as a rubber pad, the shoe of my invention can be readily applied to the under side of the rubber pad 18, as indicated in Fig. 3. The rubber pad 18 has the usual form, presenting a disk body 19, the rear portion of which is enlarged so as to form a resilient cushion 20 under the heel of the foot. In applying my shoe 21 in this instance, I simply cut off the heels of the shoe so that the rear portions of the shoe seat against the forward faces or shoulders 22 of the cushion 20. My pad or cushion 23 is then brought down to substantially the level of the lower face of the pad or cushion 20. In this way a cushion is formed 1 or the entire lower portion of the foot.

The shoe described above not only operates as a cushion shoe, but my pad acts as an anti-slip device when resting on ice or a slippery pavlng.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. A horseshoe having a rigid body and having a cushion of shock-absorbing material forming a bridge between the heels thereof, and a brace strap attached to the side of said bridge and attached to the heels of said body.

2. A horseshoe having a rigid body, a cushion of shock-absorbing material having an extension passing between the heels of said body, a block of cushioning material attached to the forward side of said extension, and a brace disposed between said block and said extension attached to said body.

3. A horseshoe having a body comprising a seat presenting a web adapted to be at tached to the under side of the hoof and having a downwardly projecting flange, a keeper disposed under said web opposite said flange, and a cushion secured to said shoe between said flange and said keeper and projecting below said body, said cushion having an ex tension connecting the heels of said shoe.

4. A horseshoe having a body comprising a seat presenting a web adapted to be attached to the under side of the hoof and having a downwardly projecting flange, a keeper disposed under said web opposite said flange, a cushion secured to said shoe between said flange and said keeper and projecting below said body, said cushion having an extension connecting the heels of said shoe, and a brace attached to the forward side of the said extension and having clips attached to the heels of said body.

5. A horseshoe having a rigid body, a cushion having an extension connecting the heels of said body, a brace attached to said extension and having clips with slots therein engaging the side of said body, and bolts passing through said slots and securing said brace to said body.

6. A horseshoe having a body presenting a channel on the under side thereof, a cushion disposed in said channel and having an ex tension forming a bridge at the heels of said shoe, a brace attached to said bridge and having clips adjacent to the sides of said body, and bolts passing through said body at the heels, securing said cushion and said clips to said body.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MATTHEW' 'l. REFNAN.

W'itnesses:

F. D. AMMEN, EVERARD B. MAnsnALL. 

